That was never my mantra. After another grueling workout (aren't they all grueling?) I was confiding to a friend that I hadn't enjoyed the 150+ squats we'd done between weight lifting exercises. She looked at me, clearly puzzled, and said, "Really? I could do squats forever. You just stick your butt out."
A few weeks later I found the phrase running through my head as we squatted to yet another dance remix. One random aside, not meant for encouragement or anything, and I internalized it. Which only goes to prove that workouts are largely a mental challenge.
Sure, there are physical limitations, but nine times out of ten the brain quits long before the muscles. This happens in life too. It's not uncommon for a person to look a difficult task and just... NOPE.
Sometimes that's how I feel about writing a scene, or editing a synopsis, or opening an email from an agent that I'm 99% sure is a rejection. Just... NOPE. Not going to happen. But, as I've learned at the gym, I can handle it. The trick is to feed the little voice inside that says, "I can" instead of feeding the one that says, "I can't."
Sometimes it's as simple as listening to a friend's positive words. "Emails always bring good news." Or just diving in, because rough drafts are meant to be ROUGH dashitall! Sometimes it takes putting on my big girl shoes (metal-toed boots work well for this) and just stomping through. Never underestimate the healing power of brute force when it comes to writing. Or must video games. Brute force gets things done.
*ahem*
But, back on topic!
Don't internalize the negative voices. Don't listen to people with broken dreams because all they want to do is break your dreams to.
Listen: You can do this. It's not as hard as you think. You are unique. There is a problem out there that only you can solve, and you need to keep going until you find that one thing only you can do.
- Liana
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